Distributer for electric ignition-gear.



' F. RQSIMMS.

DISTRIBUTER FOR ELECTRIC IGNITION GEAR.

'APPLICATION FILED JAN.16,1911.

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rnnnnmcxn. SIMMS, or LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 1:0 mm: sums mnenn'roCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

nrs'rnrnu'rnn FOR nnnc'rnrc IGNITION-GEAR.

Specification 0! Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Application filed January 16, 1311. Serial No. 603,012

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK R. SIMMs, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing-at London, England, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Distributors for Electric Ignition-Gear; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact. descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention consists in the novel features hereinafter setforth reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show anembodiment of the invention selected by me for purposes of illustrationits securing screw and. spring removed.

The embodiment of my invention which I'have selected for purposes ofillustration is a combined circuit breaker and maker and distributersuch as is used in ignition. systems in connection with the explosiveengines of motor propelled vehicles in connection with an accumulator.or battery, for producing ignition sparks in the several cylinders ofthe engine at the propertimes'and in the proper sequence.

The object of my present invention is to so mount the distributer armthat it may be held rigidly connected with the rotating shaft or partwhich moves it, when in operative condition, and in the proper relativeposition or location with respect to the circuit maker and breaker, butat the same time provision is made whereby on removing the cover of thedistributer the distributing arm may be moved freely around to exposethe-parts beneath it for examination or adjustment without loosening anyofthe parts and without the use of extrane ous tools or implements andwithout danger of losing the correct operative location of said arm. Inthe present embodiment of invention, I accomplish this result by soconnecting'said arm that it is capable of movement longitudinally of therotating part to WhiChitiS connected topermit said arm to disengage andto reengage a locating device which interlocks with said arm-and iscarried by the circuit maker and breaker, and said .ar-m is'heldnormally in its inner position with respect to said rotary part by aspring, all as'hereinafter more fully de scribed.

In the embodiment of my invention selected for purposes of illustrationand shown in the accompanying drawings, (1 represents the casing of thedevice, provided with a sleeve portion a, a recessed portion a forcontaining the contact making and breaking device, and an outer portiona of larger diameter, which is closed'by a cap or cover g, detachablysecured thereto, in this instance by means of studs 01'' projections g,g on the cap, which engage apertures in spring plates a, a, secured tothe enlarged outer portion of the casing.

0 represents the spindle on which the device is mounted, and which isdesigned to be rotated from any convenient revolving portion of theengine to which the device is fitted, as for example, the half speedshaft. The spindle 0 is mounted in bearings (ball bearings c, 0' beingherein shown) in the sleeve portion a of the casing, and is provided atits inner end with a tapered recess of as indicated in dotted lines.

Withinthe recessed portion a of the cas ing is located the contact makerand breaker 1) shown in Fig. 3, and which comprises the following parts:1 represents a steel ring fitted into a recess in the wall of thecasing, and provided on its inner face with four out out or recessedwith the disk 3. The central portion of the T-shaped boss is providedwith anadjusting screw 8 provided with, set nuts 9, and carrying at oneend a platinum contact 10. 11 is a similar platinum-contact on the endof a screw 1.2 provided with a set nut 13, 105

and carried by one end of anL-shaped contact lever 1 1, pivotallymounted'on the disk 3,.and having its other end provided with a Ifriction heel- 15 of fiberwhich bears against the inner face of. thering 1, and is held in engagement therewith by a spring 16. 17

is a plate secured to a boss 18 on the disk, and having its other endbearingupon the pivotal connection of the lever 14 to hold it in place.

It will be obvious that when the disk 3 is rotated, with respect to thecasing, the fiber heel 15 will slide upon the steel ring 1, and hold theplatinum contacts 10 and 11 separated except when the heel 15 enters thefour recesses 2, when the spring 16 will actuate the lever to cause thecontact 11 to engage the contact 10. v

d represents the rotating arm of thedistributer which is formed ofinsulating material, as vulcanite, and is provided with an aperturehaving an internal bushing fitting upon but longitudinally movable onthe .sleeve7 of the insulated block 5. The arm d is permanently securedin place by a screw 20 and elastic washer d, the screw 20 passingthrough the sleeve 7 and engaging the spindle a, but said screw isinsulated from the spindle, to avoid establishing a' connection betweenthe block 5 and the ground or frame of the engine. In the drawings Ihaveindicated a part 1 in a recess in the spindle which is engaged bythe threaded part of the screw and this may be of insulated material orof metal, with insulation between it and the walls of the recess in thespindle in'which it is fitted. Beneath the head of the screw 20 is anelastic washer d3 (in this instance a coiled spring) which ashereinafterdescribed presses down upon the arm d and holds it normallyin its operative position. I The spring (i lies in a recess 05 in theupper face of the arm id, as shown.

The outer end of the arm d is provided with a recess 41 of unequaldiameters, hav- --ing its greater diameter longitudinally 10f the arm,and in said recess is located a contact brush or block 6 preferably ofcarbon. The said brush e is pressed outward "against the cap 9 by aspring 6 engaging a recess in the brush, and having a portion of largerdiameter engaging a recess in thebottom of the brush recess in arm at.The cap 9 is provided with a central contact ring f and with contactsegments it, four of which are shown, to engage the brush, and the seg-'ments are each provided with sleeves h to receive connectors bymeans ofwhich they can be connected to the severaligniters of the enginecylinders. The relative arrangement of the parts is such that as thespindle is rotated carrying with it the disk 3, and arm 03, the b rush eis brought into contact with one of said segments h, each time thecontacts 10, 11 are brought together, thereby givinga spark at eachofthe 'igniters in succession.

The cap or cover 9 is provided' with a terminal 2' which is connectedwith the primary winding of an induction coil, the other I end of whichwinding is'connected with one terminal of an accumulator or battery, the

other terminal being grounded through the .frame of the engine. may betraced through the circuit breaker from the terminal 2" to "the screw 20(by The primary circuit :7

means of a spring actuated pin or stud z" connected with terminal 71),thence to sleeve 7, contacts 10 and 11, disk 3 to spindle c,

through the machine frame. These circuits are so well understood bythose skilled in the art that I have not deemed it necessary toillustrate them.

The elastic washer 20 beforereferred to consists in this instance of acoiled spring which is decreased in diameter near the'top to fit beneaththe shoulder of the screw head,

as shown. This construction permits the arm at to be moved lengthwise ofthe screw, when the cover 9 is removed, as will be readily seen, withoutloosening the screw. The arm (Z must be held when in operative positionin a predetermined relation to the contact maker and breaker, and Iprovide the said arm and the contact maker and breaker with interlockingparts which determine the location of the arm, but which can bedisengaged by moving the arm (1 lengthwise of the screw. Theseinterlocking locating devices may be constructed in many ways. In thepresent instance, I have shown the lower or inner face of the arm atpro- -vided with a locating recess 03* which interlocks with theprojecting head 2'5 of the screw which passes through the block 5 andsecures it to the plate 3 of the circuit maker andbreaker.

It will be seen that the construction shown and described affords greataccessibility to the parts of the device without the use of any tool ortools. For example the cover 9 can be removed by springing outward oneof the plates a thus giving access to the in closed parts of theapparatus, and by pulling the arm d outward and compressing the elasticwasher, the interlocking locating devices are disengaged and the arm (1can be swung entirely around to permit of an eX- amination of the partsof the circuit maker and breaker which would be otherwise concealed bythe arm, and to facilitate the adjustment or repair of said parts or thelubrication of the same, without loosening the screw 20. In the samemanner the arm d can be drawn outward, swung into its proper positionand the locating devices re-interlocked, when it is restored to itsnormal position and to its correct location with respect to the circuitmaker and breaker.

The screw 20 can be removed if'it is desired to remove the'circuitbreaker and maker from the casing for repairs.

Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. The combination with a rotatable circuit breaker, of a distributerarm permanently connected therewith by a pivotal connection, forpermitting the rotation of said arm with respect to the circuit breaker,without disengaging said pivotal connection, said arm and said circuitbreaker being provided with disconnectible locating devices for normallyholding the said arm in a fixed and predetermined relation with saidcircuit breaker.

2. The combination with a rotatable circuit breaker, of a distributerarm permanently connected therewith by a pivotal connection forpermitting-the rotation of said arm with respect to the circuit breaker,said circuit breaker and distributer arm being provided -withinterlocking locating devices for normally holding said arm in fixed andpredetermined relation with the circuit breaker, said arm being movablein a direction longitudinally of its pivotal connecspect to the circuitbreaker, said arm and tion to disengage said interlocking deviceswithout disengaging said pivotal connection.

3. The combination with a rotatable circuit breaker, of a distributerarm connected therewith by a pivotal connectionfor perv mitting therotation of said arm with recircuit breaker being provided with inter,-locking devices for holding the arm in fixed relation with said circuitbreaker, said arm being movable upon said pivotal connection in adirection longitudinally thereof, to disengage said interlocking deviceswithout disengaging said pviotal connection, and means ing a recess toengage said projection, a securing screw and a yielding washer engagingsaid screw and bearing upon sald arm to normally hold ,it in engagementwith said locating projection.

5. The combination with arotatable circuit breaker provided with apivotal part secured thereto, a distributer 'arm' loosely mounted onsaid pivotal part, andmovable longitudinally thereof,'a locatinrojection carried by said circuit breaker, sai arm having a recess toengage said projection, a secufing'fscrew passing through said'pivotalpart, and a coiled spring located between the head of the screw and saidarm for holding the arm in engagement with the locating projection.

.- Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses.

, FREDERICK R. SIMMS.

Witnesses:

MORTIMER S'rrErnL, WILLIAM A. SCHULER.

